


Earthquakes and Lightning (a bad moon rising)

by logxnsworld



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Suicide, Multi, Resurrection, Season/Series 04 Spoilers, Time Travel Fix-It, fuck season 4, nothing explicit but it is mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-11-07 15:09:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20819354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/logxnsworld/pseuds/logxnsworld
Summary: Mere weeks after Quentin Coldwater’s death, two kids (Ari [REDACTED] and Will [REDACTED]) have come from the [REDACTED] to save him. Eliot and the others are suspicious. How could these kids help them get back Quentin?





	1. Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival

**Author's Note:**

> Each chapter will have a song that I think at least mildly fits with the chapter. (Or just some song that I like that I think is underappreciated)
> 
> I am also ignoring the fillory/margo/eliot thing so yeah
> 
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I see a bad moon arising // I see trouble on the way // I see earthquakes and lightning // I see bad times today // Don't go 'round tonight // Well it's bound to take your life // There's a bad moon on the rise."

Penny stood, hands in his pockets as he stared at a small girl argue at Quentin. Her shaggy brown hair bounced as she yelled, throwing her arms around like she was throwing a tantrum.

Her cousin, a boy who introduced himself as Will, stood next to him. Penny had a hard time believing that Will was her cousin, considering the girl looked as white as you could be, and Will looked decidedly... not white. He was pale, sure, but Penny saw the orange-olive-yellow undertones in his skin that looked like they desperately needed some sun. They stood out on the pallor of his skin, making Will seem almost sickly.  _ If the kid just got some sun _ , Penny thought,  _ he’d be as brown-looking as me. _

But, if that was the lie they were going with, Penny wasn’t going to be  _ that _ guy. 

_ That Librarian _ .

“You’re sure she’s sixteen?” Penny asked with a raised eyebrow. “‘Cause she looks a lot younger, and she’s throwing a fit like she’s five.”

Will cringed. “Yeah. Ari’s just a little... dramatic.”

They stood in silence. Will wrung his hands anxiously and tugged on his curly hair that painfully reminded Penny of Kady.

“I’m gonna stop her,” Will said when Ari looked like she was a few seconds away from bursting into tears. “Or try to, at least.”

He flicked out of sight and appeared near Ari. 

_ Hm _ , Penny thought.  _ A Traveler. Interesting. _ Will talked to Ari for a few moments. They looked back at Quentin. Q shook his head, and Penny could clearly see him say no. 

Ari shook and turned away with tears in her eyes. Will’s shoulders sagged, and he turned to Ari. He set his hand on her shoulder, and they disappeared.

“What exactly were two children doing here, Mr. Adiyodi?” A rich, deep voice said from his side. 

“I’m not quite sure,” Penny said. “They said they were here to ‘save Quentin’ or something.”

“How quaint,” His boss said with a smirk, his dark eyes cold and bored. “Well, it seems they did not succeed in their mission. Their names, Mr. Adiyodi?”

“Ari and Will.”

“Nothing more?”

“Nope. No last name or anything else.”

“Strange,” Hades hummed. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”

* * *

Quentin was doing just fine in the Underworld, thank you very much.

In truth, he wasn’t, but he definitely wasn’t going to tell some kid that.

“My name is Arielle Coldwater,” She said as if he would believe her. “And we’re here to get you the fuck out of here.”

“Sure, kid. You and what army?” He laughed, and she frowned.

“No, seriously,” Arielle replied. “You need to come back with us!”

“I’m fine down here, kid,” Quentin replied. “Besides, magic can’t bring people back. I’ve learned that the hard way.”

“It’s not magic,” She complained. “You can decide if you want to come back.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

After an awkward pause, Arielle laughed. “You’re joking, right. You have a life up there! Friends! You can’t just stay here!”

“Yes, I can. And I will.”

“What about Julia? Eliot? Hell, even Alice!” Arielle’s voice got increasingly louder and shrill as she listed the names.

“They’ll get over it,” Quentin replied, crossing his arms self-consciously.

“Get over it?” Arielle yelled, throwing her arms around and beginning to look like a small child having a tantrum. “Why the fuck would you think they’ll just ‘get over it’? They love you.”

“I don’t know.”

“They won’t,” Arielle replied, her voice at a normal volume. “Which is why you need to go back.”

“Why do you care so much?” Quentin snapped after a moment.

“You goddamn know why!” Arielle was once again yelling in that shrill, tantrum-like tone. Her arms flailed, and she stomped her foot on the ground. “This version of me doesn’t exist if you’re dead!”

Arielle’s last words seem to echo.

“Oh.” Quentin can’t say much else. “You were serious.”

“Yeah, I was fucking serious!” Arielle screeches, flailing more.

Suddenly, a tall boy appeared next to her. “Ari,” He chided gently. “It’ll do you no good to kill your voice yelling.”

Arielle sighed and stopped flailing and stomping. Her voice was back at a reasonable volume. “This is my cousin Will. Look, Dad. We’ll ask you one last time. You say yes, we take you back to everyone else. You say no, we’ll bring everyone else to you. It’s your choice.”

Quentin’s heart ached at Arielle calling him dad. He paused. If he went with them, he could see Eliot again. But... the last time he had resurrected someone, Alice had become a Niffin. He couldn’t do that to anyone. With his decision made, he shook his head. “No. Stop trying to save me.” 

Will’s shoulders dropped, and Arielle turned around. 

“C’ mon, Ari.” Will put a hand on Arielle’s shoulder, and they disappeared.

_ Finally. Some peace and quiet. _

“Quentin,” Penny said, appearing near him. 

“There goes peace and quiet.” Quentin rolled his eyes. “What’s up, Penny?”

“Who did that girl say she was?” Penny asked.

Quentin looked at Penny. He could see the seriousness in Penny’s eyes and knew that he wasn’t just curious.

“She just said her name was Arielle, that’s all,” Quentin lied with a shrug. 

Penny frowned. “Damn. Well, thanks I guess. Looks like I’ll have to do some research.”

He disappeared.

Arielle may be very stubborn and way too overdramatic, but Quentin could tell that she was no liar. She reminded him painfully of Eliot.

He just hoped that wasn’t the last time he’d ever see his kid.

* * *

Eliot limped around, leaning on his cane as he did a very half-assed version of pacing.

“This is bullshit,” he muttered. 

“El, sit down, you’re giving me stress pimples just by watching you,” Margo griped, taking his hand and pulling him down onto the couch next to her.

“Sorry, Bambi,” Eliot sighed. “It’s just-”

“Quentin,” Margo stated. 

Eliot paused. “Yeah.”

They sat in silence for a few moments.

“Look, Eliot, I-” Margo began to talk, but didn’t finish her sentence before two teenagers popped up in front of them.

Margo leaped up, and Eliot tried to do the same but struggled with his cane before he could.

The girl smiled nervously. “Uh, hi.”

Margo scowled. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“Um, well, I’m Arielle Waugh, and I-” The girl paused. “Oh, maybe it might be better to say why I’m here. So we’re here from the future to try and help you get Quentin back.”

Eliot blinked. Arielle had short, but shaggy dark brown hair, ( _ like Quentin,  _ his mind supplied, giving him an unhelpful pang in his heart), and hazel eyes. She looked, for all his imagination, quite like a combination of him and Quentin.

Not quite knowing what to do, and realizing that he had been quiet for much too long, he barked out a disbelieving laugh.

“Look, kid, that’s great and all, but-”

“No, really,” Arielle complained. “We’re here to get Quentin back.”

Eliot looked at her, and then to her friend. He was pale but had undertones to his skin that gave away his non-whiteness. Just by looking at him, you could tell that this kid was not meant to be pale. His hair was longer than Arielle’s, and it was a frizzy-curly like Kady’s. 

“Ari, maybe it’s not best to try and push this on your dad right now,” Arielle’s companion tugged on the shoulder of her sweater. 

Arielle shook him off, still looking Eliot dead in the eyes. “Look, I live in a future where you’re fucking miserable. I just want to try to give some version of me a dad that doesn’t-” Arielle cut herself off. 

“Ari, that’s really not a good thing to say,” her companion hissed. “We should go.”

“Wait,” Margo commanded. “You’re going to stay here and give us an explanation. Got it?”

Arielle nodded determinedly, as her companion swallowed nervously.

“First, names,” Margo demanded.

“Arielle Waugh.”

“Will, um. Do I have to say my last name?” Will rubbed his hands on his jeans nervously. 

“Will, it’s fine,” Arielle nudged him.

“Well, I’m Will Adiyodi Junior,” Will looked at his feet. “So, yeah.”

Margo looked like she was about prepared to bite the kids’ heads off. Eliot’s head was very close to exploding with the amount of information that Arielle had rambled at them. Eliot held out a hand. 

“Okay, how about we discuss this over some food? I’m starving.”

* * *

“So let me get this straight,” Margo said. She pointed to Arielle. “You say you’re Eliot’s kid, and you’re here to make sure at least some version of you and him can be happy, and that you-” she now pointed at Will- “are Penny-our Penny- and Kady’s kid that Ari dragged along to save Quentin to help Eliot.”

Ari nodded. 

Eliot looked at Ari. Her eyes and sense of fashion could be his, but her hair, her determination- that was all Quentin . 

“Look, kid. I believe that you’re here to save Quentin. You have too much of an honest face to be here to do something else. However,” Eliot watched Ari’s face fall. “I don’t believe you’re my kid.”

“But I am,” Ari complained. 

“You look too much like Quentin for it to be an accident,” Eliot replied. “And your name is Arielle. You’re here to save your dad.”

Ari huffed and sunk into her chair. “I had a whole plan,” She groused. 

“Sorry not sorry,” Eliot said, a small smile on his face.

“I have a feeling it’s more of the “not sorry” part.”

“You would be correct.”


	2. Psylla- Glass Animals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Stop saying when the moon is shaking down // Makes mama throw her hands up and flip around // Back-lashing with a bullet full of love // Makes papa wanna chrome up his old truck // I follow suit // I follow suit // I follow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is a tad rushed towards the beginning, so let me know if you're confused on anything.
> 
> Some smaller details may change.
> 
> Enjoy!

"So let me get this straight," Kady said with a simultaneously angry and bored expression. "You're saying that this is Quentin's kid from the future who wants to bring him back from the dead." 

Eliot shrugged. “Yeah, that’s the gist of it.”

“So, what exactly do you propose we do?” Alice, looking like she hadn’t slept in a few days, asked. 

“We need to find two spells,” Ari replied. “One to make my dad a new body, the other to get us down to the Underworld. I don’t quite know what spells those are, so we’ll have to do a little digging.”

Alice nods. “Kady and I can look into the Library’s collection. They’ll probably have something.”

Ari turned to Eliot. “Would you be able to get into the Brakebills Library? Or is that off the table?”

Eliot considered that. “I can talk to Fogg. It’s not guaranteed, though.”

Ari clapped with a grin. “There we go. Go team!”

* * *

For hours, Eliot and Margo attempted to contact Dean Fogg, but to no avail. After the last call of five, Alice and Kady arrived with armfuls of books.

They dropped them onto a table and Alice instructed them all to search.

Before any of them could start, the clock to Fillory clanged something awful, and out tumbled Fen and Josh. 

“Margo!” Fen cheered.

Margo ran over to Fen and Josh and helped them both stand. 

“Heeey, Margo,” Josh said with a grin. “So, we, uh, we’ve got a bit of a- uh…”

“We have a problem,” Fen finished. “There have been rumors of an uprising. Josh and I aren’t as popular as you were.”

“I’d really love to come back and figure something out, but I’ve got to help Eliot get-” Margo began to protest, but Eliot stopped her.

“Nonsense, Bambi,” Eliot said. “You need to go. We’ll be fine.”

Margo rushed over and hugged Eliot tightly. “No killing yourself, got it, asshole?”

Eliot chuckled. “Got it. Love you, Bambi.”

Margo grumbled as she walked back to the clock with Fen and Josh, but she was smiling, and she waved to Eliot as the three vanished to Fillory.

Alice sighed. “God, I barely opened this book, and already we’re down a possible helper.”

Eliot picked up a book. “Better get to reading, Blondie.” 

* * *

An hour went by, and Elot perked up, pointing to a page in the book he held.

“This looks promising,” he said.

Ari ran over, scanned the page and shook her head. “No, that one’s not right,” she said. “I’ve seen that spell before, and it did not do what we want it to do.”

Eliot shrugged and handed Alice the book. She took it and put it into her bag.

After a few more hours of searching, they finally found their two spells. 

The one to re-make a body for Quentin was called “Resurrectio Quod Perierat,” and required multiple ingredients, as well as two people to be present when the spirit returned from the Underworld.

The spell to get them all down to the underworld was called “Liber De Spiritu Corporis.” It only required a living person who had enough magical skill to keep the spell active while the others were in the Underworld. It essentially separated the soul from the body and fast-passed it down to the Underworld.

“We’re going to need at least one more person,” Alice said. “Because I can keep the spirit-split spell open, and Kady can help with resurrectio, but all three of you will want to go down there.” 

“Aunt Julia, maybe?” Ari asked. 

“Can anyone contact Julia?” Alice asked.

A pause.

Kady sighed. “Fine, I’ll call her.”

Kady pulled out her phone and went into another room to talk to Julia. She re-entered after a few minutes.

“Julia said she’d-”

Then, Julia appeared with Twenty-three. 

“What can I do?”

* * *

After Alice sent Twenty-three to collect the ingredients for Resurrectio, they doled out roles.

Julia volunteered to help with Resurrectio, so they assigned Twenty-three to stay with her. 

Alice would help with Liber De Spiritu Coporis, and thus the rest of them would go down to the Underworld. 

They would all be falling asleep while they were gone, so they positioned themselves in comfortable places.

Ari and Will took the couch, protectively placing a bundle of things between them discreetly. 

Twenty-three finally returned with his satchel filled with stuff. 

Julia grinned. “Great! Penny and I will get started while you guys go get Q.”

Alice nodded. She began casting the spell, and the next thing they knew, Eliot, Kady, Will, and Ari were all in an elevator that was heading down.

“Welcome to the Underworld,” A familiar voice greeted as soon as the doors opened. “Oh, shit.”

Penny (or should he be Forty?) stood in front of the elevator doors, looking stiff in a charcoal gray suit and his arms behind his back.

“Ah, our questers have arrived,” a deep and vaguely menacing voice said from behind Penny. There stood a tall man with pure white hair and a very nice suit. “Come,” the man said with a wave, “we have much to discuss.”

The man led them all to a small room with a single desk and chair. He sat down in the chair, and everyone piled in. 

“So, you come to save your friend,” The man said, still with a menacing tone.

“Well, I do,” Kady retorted. “Eliot’s come to save his boyfriend.”

The man finally smiled. “I know what you are here for.” 

He stood up, and walked to a blank wall. “My name is Hades. I understand you are here for Mister Coldwater. However, to justify you bringing his soul from the Other Side, I must give you two trials. Mr. Adiyodi?” Penny moved to stand by Hades, looking trepidatious.

“Wait,” Eliot complained. “We never agreed to trials.” 

“If you wish for Mr. Coldwater back, I’m afraid you will have to, Mr. Waugh,” Hades replied.

Eliot scowled. 

Hades smirked and a door appeared. “Mr. Adiyodi knows what your trials are. He will lead you through them.” Penny nodded some sort of affirmative to Hades. Seemingly satisfied with his explanation, Hades stepped away from the door. 

Penny opened it with a smirk. 

“Kowabunga, motherfuckers.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the line "Kowabunga, motherfuckers" is possibly the best line I've written all year


	3. Love It If We Made It- The 1975

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And we can find out the information // Access all the applications // That are hardening positions based on miscommunications // Oh, fuck your feelings // Truth is only hearsay // We're just left to decay // Modernity has failed us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad with tenses. It's my only language, but I'm bad at English.
> 
> This is also the longest chapter, mostly because I wanted to fit the first trial into one chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

The room that they enter is a bright, stark white that reminds Eliot of a hospital. It reminds Will of something, too, judging by the way he’s clutching his chest. 

Then, Eliot notices a silver chain around his neck, disappearing under his shirt. Interesting.

Penny leads them further into the room. “This is the first of, hopefully only two trials. There may be a third. We’ll see.”

“I’m glad to see you didn’t lose any of your brooding charm in the Underworld,” Eliot quips. “Just your sense of style.”

Penny crosses his arms behind his back and smirks to hide the smile that threatens to break out on his face.

“Anyway,” Penny said. “The first trial is a trial of intention.”

As if Penny’s explanation was a cue (which it probably was), a long line of white flames bursts a few feet behind Penny.

Ari jumps. “Fucking- what the fuck?!” 

Kady crosses her arms over her chest and pops a hip. “What do you mean, “trial of intention”?”

Penny smiles now, most likely unintentionally. “You all walk into the fire. Once you’re all in the fire, and your intentions are pure, you continue onto the last trial.”

“And if they aren’t?” Will asks, still clutching what Eliot is pretty sure is a necklace through his shirt.

“Then, the fire will turn red. Those whose intentions are not pure have a secondary trial,” Penny’s smile was gone now. “You better hope y’all pass.” Penny turns around to face the white flames.

“Ah, foreboding warnings,” Ari snipes, all Quentin-sass, “My favorite kind of warnings.”

Penny smirks, and his shoulders spasm. “The flames won’t hurt you,” he says, instead of responding to Ari’s quip. “No matter what.”

The way he says that seems like he would probably have some strong words (of the “fuck” and “bastard” variety) for Hades.

Eliot sighs. “Fine. Let’s go, lesbians!” 

Ari snickers. Will complains. “None of us are- oh, whatever.”

The others follow Eliot, even Kady, who had been looking at the flames suspiciously the whole time. Once they’re all in the flames, everyone holds their breath, waiting for the worst.

Nothing happens.

“Isn’t something supposed to happen?” Ari asks.

“Yeah, it should be-” Penny stops as Hades’ voice booms in the room.

“They are missing a quester,” Hades informs them.

There’s shuffling on Penny’s behalf. “No, they’re not.” Penny grinds out.

“If you would please join your fellow questers, Mr. Adiyodi.”

No one makes a sound.

There’s some shuffling, and the flames erupted into a crimson red color. Eliot could hear Penny curse before his head felt fuzzy, and his stomach tied itself in knots.

When the fuzziness faded, Eliot was standing in a room painted completely black, lit only by a single yellow-light lamp in the middle. He looked around, and he finally saw the others as his eyes adjusted. 

They were all here.

“Well, fuck,” Ari groused. “This isn’t good.”

“How it is all of us?” Kady complained.

“The next trials reveals such,” Hades said, his voice booming from the void. “This is the trial of truth.”

“Is there any alternative?” Eliot asks, dreading what the “truth” may have to be about. “You may not know this, but me and ‘truth’ aren’t exactly friends.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to get over yourself, Mr. Waugh. This room will… encourage the truth from you.”

Eliot huffs.

“Miss Waugh, it is your turn,” Hades booms.

“She already tried that trick,” Eliot replies. “It didn’t work the first time.”

“I didn’t lie,” Ari blurts. “When I said I was your kid. And when I said I was Quentin’s.”

The room is silent. Ari, not one for silence, continues. 

“The reason I vetoed the spell you found first,” She gestures to Eliot, “was because I knew what it did. It- You had used it in my future at one point, in your weird quest to try and get Quentin back. Instead of it building a new body like you wanted it to, the spell combined your blood with Quentin’s and… made me.”

“Jesus,” Eliot breathes.

“You took me in as my dad. You’ve always been my dad. You would tell me stories of Quentin, about how brave and amazing he was. I-” Ari’s eyes begin to water, and her voice cracks. “I woke up on my sixteenth birthday to find y-you in-” Tears spill down Ari’s face. 

Will brought her into his side, rubbing her shoulder as she cries. He looks numb, but distraught. “In our future, Ari’s sixteenth birthday was the day Uncle Eliot… died.”

Eliot freezes and his eyes widen in realization. “I killed my-”

The word “TRUTH” in an annoying green color flashes on a wall. Ari is still shaking in Will’s hug, but she’s not sobbing anymore. Eliot just hopes she’ll be okay. 

“It’s time to continue. Mr. Waugh?”

Eliot takes a deep breath. “I’m not sure what to say,” He admits. “But, I- I’m in love. With Quentin. Have been since I first met him.”

Eliot holds his breath as they wait for the green “TRUTH” to flash, but nothing does.

“I think we all knew that,” Kady snaps. 

“Maybe we have to admit something that only a few people know,” Will offers. “Or even no one knows.”

Eliot sighs. “When Quentin and I were working on the time key quest, we all thought that Margo had saved us from needing to do it.”

“Did she-”

“She did,” Eliot replies. “In a way. We got to the throne room, and suddenly, we remembered the whole thing. We were there for fifty years. Quentin and I worked on this mosaic, and we- we did stuff.”

Ari snickers from Will’s chest. Her voice is watery and a little shaky. “Seriously? ‘Stuff’?”

Eliot sighs. “I am not going into details with all you around.”

Penny, who’s been watching the wall that the “TRUTH” appeared on, pipes up. “Still no green word.”

“Fuck,” Eliot groans. “Fine. I realized that we were in love there. I freaked out, got scared, and told him to go and try it with this girl that passed by us everyday, like a fucking idiot. They got married, and Arielle figured out a way for us to- I don’t know- “share” Quentin I guess? We had a kid, well Arielle did, but still, and we had a family.” Eliot sighs tiredly. “I just want him back.”

The room was silent for a few moments as a green “TRUTH” appeared on the wall.

“You named your kid after the girl Quentin married in Fillory?” Kady asks incredulously.

Ari giggles as Eliot says “No.”

Ari looks up from Will’s chest, but neither of them let go. “That’s a lie. He totally did.”

“Miss Orloff-Diaz,” Hades interrupts. “Your turn.”

Kady sighs. “I-” She clenches her jaw, and yells. “I don’t even want to go on this stupid quest! If the payment for not completing this is that I have to stay here, then good, because I wanted to stay here anyway!”

Penny looks pained. “Kady-”

He’s interrupted by “TRUTH” flashing on the wall and Hades speaking.

“Mr. Adiyodi. Care to go?”

Penny scowls. “Not really, but I guess I don’t have a choice, do I.”

He’s met with silence. 

Penny sighs. “I was the one that escorted Quentin to the Other Side. I was the one he talked to, when he admitted that he might’ve-” Penny stops and takes a deep breath. The rest of his confession seems to spill out of his mouth. “I thought I was doing the right thing, because I thought he wanted to stay. But I- I wish I hadn’t. I wish I had been selfish and not let him crossover because he was my friend and I knew that people would come for him.”

Penny is almost out of breath by the time he says his whole word-dump confession. The green “TRUTH” flashes.

“Young Mister Adiyodi,” Hades says. “You’re the last one.”

Will takes a deep breath. He and Ari still have their arms wrapped around each other. “I came with Ari to help her- um, dads out. But I also came to help my dad, too. And I- It feels weird bec-cause I’ve never… done anything really for myself.”

“TRUTH” flashes on the wall. On the same wall, an opening appears into something that’s even darker than the partially pitch black room they’re in now.

“You may continue,” Hades booms. 

Penny leads them through the opening into what looks like the void.

“This is a fucking void,” Ari observes, her voice echoing. She and Will have transition to just holding each other’s hands like the other may disappear any moment.

“Yeah,” Penny replies. 

“It’s where you can communicate with those on the Other Side. And where we’ll get Quentin back.”


	4. Hard Times- Paramore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “All that I want // Is to wake up fine // Tell me that I'm alright // That I ain't gonna die // All that I want // Is a hole in the ground // You can tell me when it's alright // For me to come out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha so this isn't the last chapter. But the next chapter should hopefully actually be the last chapter.
> 
> Also shout out to SparrowHawke- I see you, I thank you, and I love your comments. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“This trial is a trial of retrieving.”

“Makes it sound like Quentin’s a dog we’re trying to get back,” Eliot mutters bitterly. 

Hades continues on. “You must collaborate on saying some sort of phrase that meets the following requirements. First, it must be long enough for Quentin to follow it, recognize it, and say part of it. In addition, you all must say at least one part of it, and Quentin must know it well enough to say part of it as well.”

A silence.

“You mean a song,” Ari says. She and Will are still holding hands.

“Well, a song can fit these requirements, but it doesn’t have to be a song.”

“Just say you need us to sing, dude,” Ari rolls her eyes.

Kady and Penny look at Eliot. “He’s your boyfriend,” Kady says. “What do we sing?”

Eliot sighs. “Something he’ll recognize.”

“And no Taylor Swift,” Penny retorts. “Coldwater can’t sing any of her stuff for shit.”

Eliot exhales sharply out his nose, once, like he’s too tired to laugh.

Eliot performs the tut for music, and a familiar rhythm starts. Penny groans as he hears it.

“Not this,” Penny growls as the bass line of “Under Pressure” begins. “We already sang to this fucking song.”

“To fully retrive Mr. Coldwater, you must sing to all parts of the void,” Hades pipes up from wherever the fuck he is. “May I suggest a circle?”

Ari and Will move closer to the others and turn their backs, Ari next to Eliot and Will next to Penny, with Kady in between Eliot and Penny.

Will and Ari take the beginning. “Boom-boom bah be, boom-boom bah be, buh-buh-boom bah be-be.”

“Pressure,” Kady sings with as much passion as she did the first time. “Pushing down on me, pressin’ down on you, no man ask for.”

“Under pressure,” Eliot belts, “That brings a building down, splits a family in two, puts people on streets.”

Will and Ari take the vocalizations again.

“That’s okay,” Eliot and Kady sing together.

“That’s the terror of knowing what this world is about,” Ari sings with a shaky, but confident tone. “Watchin’ some good friends screaming-”

They all scream, “LET ME OUT!”

“Pray tomorrow takes me higher,” Eliot sings.

“Pressure on people, people on streets,” Kady sings as she takes Eliot’s hand. 

He smiles at her as the rest of them sing the next vocalizations. 

“Chippin’ around, kick my brains ‘round the floor,” Eliot sings in his falsetto, “These are the days it never rains, but it pours.”

Will and Ari resume their vocalizations. They all sing “people on streets” twice, with a set of vocalizations afterwards.

Will finally sings solo, his voice a soft, slightly reedy tenor. “It’s the terror of knowing what this world is about, watchin’ some good friends screaming-”

“LET ME OUT!”

“ _ Pray tomorrow gets me higher, high! _ ” Eliot holds out high as the others continue.

“ _ Pressure on people, people on streets. _ ”

“Penny,” Kady urges. “You have to fucking sing, douchebag.”

“Turned away from it all, like a blind man,” Penny warbles out the notes in a charmingly untrained voice. “Sat on a fence, but it don’t work.”

Kady joins him as they sing, “Keep comin’ up with love, but it’s so slashed and torn.” She takes his hand, and they give each other a small smile.

“Why, why, why?” Eliot holds this out again.

Ari is fully prepared to belt “love, love, love,” at the top of her lungs, but Hades interrupts. 

“You all need to reach out your hands, for Mr. Coldwater to grab onto. If you do not, he will be lost forever.”

“Insanity laughs, under pressure we’re cracking.” Kady lets go of Eliot’s hand, and reaches out.

“Why can’t we give ourselves that one more chance,” Will and Ari, still holding each others’ hands, reach out.

“Why can’t we give love that one more chance?” Eliot reaches out, desperation creeping into his voice.

“Why can’t we give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?” They all sing, some more screaming than singing.

“‘Cause love’s such an old fashioned word,” They can faintly hear Quentin warble more than sing with Eliot. “And love dares you to care for-”

Will and Ari join them. “The people on the edge of the night and-”

Kady joins. “Love dares you to change our way of-”

Penny joins, and finally reaches out his hand, the other still gripping Kady’s hand like a lifeline. “Caring about ourselves. This is our last chance. This is our last chance. This is ourselves. Under pressure.”

Everyone but Eliot drops away, just to hear Quentin again. “Under pressure.”

After a few moments, a voice that is clearly Quentin warbles out the last line. “Pressure.”

Snaps come from the void around them, and on the last snap, Quentin has a death grip on Eliot’s outstretched hand. A smoky black cloud grips onto the edges of his figure, seemingly holding Quentin back from Eliot.

Eliot and Quentin stare at each other, love and fear in their eyes.

"Q," Eliot says, eyes watery.

“Eliot, pull him out!” Penny yells.

Eliot seems to snap out of their reverie, and does just that, pulling Quentin into his chest and knocking himself backwards with the force. They land on the ground with a pained exhale from Eliot.

“Eliot,” Quentin says, breathless.

Eliot looks half on the verge of tears, half like he’s going to kill Quentin.

Before Eliot can say anything, Hades speaks. 

“Mr. Adiyodi, if you could escort the questers and Mr. Coldwater back to the elevator,” Hades booms. “Congratulations. Don’t come back.”

Eliot helps a thoroughly confused Quentin to his feet, and Penny leads them through a door that has appeared in the void. Eliot doesn’t miss the way Quentin eyes it suspiciously.

They arrive back in a hallway with an elevator at the end of it. Ari, Will, Quentin, and Eliot all make their way into the elevator as Penny pulls Kady aside.

“Kady, about the truth room-”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Kady mutters. “I’m over it. I just-” She sighs. “Seeing you made me realize how much I’ve missed you. I wish you could come back with us.”

“You know I can’t.” 

“Yeah, why d’ya think I said I wish you could, you dumbass?”

Penny looks at her with a small, sweet smile. She shoves him, and he stumbles slightly

“Shut up.”

“Well, I didn’t say any-”

Kady cuts off Penny by threading her fingers through his hair and pressing her lips to his. They kiss for a few seconds before Ari looks over from her whispered conversation with Will and fake-gags.

“Ugh, gross you guys!”

Penny and Kady ignore her, but pull away, breathless.

“I love you,” Penny murrmurrs.

“Fuck you,” Kady replies fondly, with no real heat behind it. Penny grins at her as she enters the elevator.

Ari and Will throw their arms out, blocking the doors from closing. Penny frowns slightly, and tilts his head.

“I said I was here to save my dad,” Will looks at Penny with a determined glare. 

“And I’m sure you will,” Penny says, slightly condescending.

“I’ve never really done anything for myself,” Will admits. “But this isn’t just for me.” 

Will reaches out, and Ari lifts her arm away from the elevator door. Will’s fingers snag Penny by the tie and pull him into the elevator as the doors slide shut with a no-nonsense ding.

Penny leaned over and coughed as he loosens his tie. “Shit, kid. I can’t leave. I’m sorry.” 

But the elevator continues. 

Penny frowned, and straightens out. “I- this shouldn’t- I can’t-” 

Suddenly, Penny doubles back over, holding his head and screaming. Will immediately casts a tut over Penny’s head. When the tut is finished, Penny collapses into a sitting position on the floor. 

“Fuck. I forgot how much I hate being psychic,” Penny sighs. 

“Are you really-” Kady cuts herself off.

“Apparently,” Penny grins tiredly. He points at Will. “You better have a plan kid. I’m not floating around like some dumb-ass poltergeist again.”

Will grins, a mirror image of the magician on the ground. “We’ve got a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all don't mind that the majority of this chapter was just Under Pressure, but here’s the first line of the next chapter for compensation.
> 
> “If there’s one thing that Alice can say that she truly hates with a passion, it’s waiting.”
> 
> So specific. :)


End file.
